USC's Black History Month Reunion Draws 1,500 to Celebrate

When the Jermaine Carter Gospel Band started playing at USC's McCarthy Quad, something magical happened: dozens of students, professors and staff spontaneously broke into the electric slide together.

This wasn't your typical campus event. Wednesday's Black History Month Family Reunion drew about 1,500 Trojans to celebrate "A Century of Black Commemoration: Preserve, Promote, Protect," marking 100 years since historian Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926.

Associate Dean Anita Dashiell-Sparks of the USC School of Dramatic Arts reminded the crowd why this milestone matters. "Our achievements across the fields of arts, science, medicine, literature, architecture, mathematics, engineering, technology, humanities, and research and scholarship have undeniably helped to build this country," she told attendees.

The celebration blended joy with reflection. USC Provost Andrew T. Guzman led the crowd in honoring civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson, who passed away earlier this month, calling his legacy an "enduring imprint on our nation's history."

But the event's power came from its warmth. Students and faculty feasted on soul food from local Black-owned businesses Annie's Soul Delicious and Simply Wholesome, sharing cornbread, jerk chicken, Jamaican patties and four flavors of chicken wings on the sunny lawn.

The Jermaine Carter Gospel Band provided the soundtrack, their music turning the quad into an impromptu dance floor. That spontaneous electric slide perfectly captured the spirit of the day: people from different campus departments and backgrounds moving together in celebration.

Why This Inspires

President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, but this celebration showed how far the tradition has grown beyond proclamations. The "family reunion" theme wasn't just clever branding. Students, faculty and staff from both the University Park and Health Sciences campuses came together as community, creating the kind of genuine connection that makes cultural celebrations meaningful.

The event succeeded because it honored history while creating new memories worth preserving.